The subject matter described herein relates generally to an electrical connector having a poke-in wire contact.
Some electrical connectors terminate electrical wires. Such electrical connectors include an electrical contact that engages an electrical wire to establish an electrical connection therebetween. The electrical contacts of some electrical connectors that terminate electrical wires are poke-in wire contacts. Poke-in wire contacts include wire interfaces that extend within a receptacle of the electrical connector. The electrical wire is inserted, or poked, into the receptacle such that the electrical wire engages, and thereby forms an electrical connection with, the wire interface of the poke-in wire contact.
Poke-in wire contacts are not without their disadvantages. For example, in some circumstances the electrical wire is removed from the receptacle to facilitate product testing, inspection, replacement, and/or repair of the electrical connector. But, it may be difficult to release the electrical wire from the poke-in contact and thereby remove the electrical wire from the receptacle without damaging the electrical wire and/or the poke-in contact. Damage to the electrical wire and/or the poke-in contact may require otherwise unnecessary repair and/or replacement of the electrical wire and/or the poke-in contact, which may increase a cost of the electrical connector.
Moreover, at least some known poke-in contacts require a special dedicated tool to release the electrical wire from the contact. The special dedicated tool may not be readily available in the field and therefore may not be used. Instead, an operator may use another tool that was not designed to release the electrical wire from the poke-in contact, which may damage the electrical connector.
The housings of some known electrical connectors include a flexible member that pushes on the poke-in contact to release the electrical wire from the contact. But, the plastic or similar material of the housing may become brittle when the electrical connector is exposed to the heat of a solder reflow process, which may damage the flexible member. For example, heat from the solder reflow process may reduce the elastic range of the flexible member and/or cause the flexible member to fracture, break, and/or the like. The damage may cause the flexible member to fail to sufficiently push on the poke-in contact, which may render the electrical wire as unreleasable from the poke-in contact.